I just wanted to send a message and to let the crew know that I am down here in Chatham for the next two weeks but will not have at home internet conection so I am here at "CyberDocks" computer center in Harwichport and will check in every couple days. Anyway to bad the south rip trip was cancelled but I met up with Dave P. that morning and we when to North Monomoy. I had to leave early (9:45 am) boat. b Caught two short ones from the west side canal. Saw Dave again the next day along with Juro and Craig at the lighthouse but the wind was bad and they headed to the windless side of Morris Island. I went home...drats. Thank you John Marrotta for the picture you took of the 39 incher.. Here's the low down, Juro is right ,It is hit or miss at the light house but as of this morning the bait and birds are still there. I showed up around 5 am but went out at about 5:45 to my usual spot on the last hour of outgoing.... 15th cast or so, hook up with a 35 incher and had to use a fellow flyfishers measuring tape since I forgot mine. Traveled light with out my vest.. shorts and barefoot as usual and the wind was down from the days before,north to north east. Started home..but wait ! , it was only 7 am and fog and overcast,some light rain.I did not want to go home yet. So I move back to the light house but stopped at another favorite spot and on my 3rd or so cast picked up another Keeper and had to measure that one by putting the kept fish alongside it... virtually the same length. I kept that second fish in about one foot of water still hooked to do the measurement then released it. Cut the stomack of the killed fish and once again ALL sand eels..Weigh--24 pounds. The best part is that both were on my 8 wt. 16 pound tippet in fast current. So.. thats the story so far and I will be there every morning ...I think. My phone number is in the book in Chatham... so let me know by calling or just showing up there at the lighthouse and I'll show you both spots.. so it's the fifth keeper of the year at the same locations.. as ernie bock says... "come on down"... just one thing , the entire lighthouse is NOT producing big fish everywhere there.. so I have been lucky to find those two "holes". Thats it for now.

You are a lucky man. As I drove past the high breakers yesterday I noticed the birds were inside the breakers, big birds there too. Dave P and I stopped for coffee and I told him that I suspected the next 24 hours would be the "hit" part of the hit or miss cycle due to the weather. To have had a morning with the wind down and the bait pushed in would have been nirvana for me - and I live it vicariously in your success!

Thanks for your insights on the area, look forward to being there again ASAP.

Congrats! Sounds like you had a great morning. Doesn't sound like you have any problems hooking the big ones. Sunday morning I had two takes, but when I went to set the hook my hand slipped on the line. I use usually lift the tip of the rod and pull on the line, but when my hand slipped I didn't get a firm hard set. The fish just spit the fly out. Is this the technic that you use, or can you advise on what I doing wrong? Any advice would be appreicated. Like I said way to go!

It's clear I should have been fishing with you! I had to work in Orleans today, so I headed down last night for a little recreational time. I ended up a little south of where you were, and spent half of the outgoing and a good part of the incoming as the "angler du jour" for clouds of no-see-ums.

Barely avoided a skunking, but figured that's due to massive schools of 1 1/2" juvies- at one point, you could see rippling water over an area of maybe 30 x 200 yards! Tried everything I had with me, in every possible way, with minimal success.

I saw a few fish busting, but not nearly as much activity as I'd have expected.

Thanks for the responses. I am back at cyberdocka and will call Tom today. Was back at it this morning and creeped out to the spot at about 5 am with some good guys from Connecticut. Got really wet since I don't use waders and at wast high. landed a 28 incher on second cast but quite the rest of the morning for me. Anyway, 4 Keepers caught between that time and about 7:30.., Maybe more ,could not tell. But everybody is coming up with something I think. Saw Charlie W. yesterday and He lost a big one but came up with a keeper after. He was working hard and I was glad for him particularly since he had driven up from Boston that morning. Saw him again this morning on his yak hitting the outer beach across from me and could not tell how he was doing ,but he had a location that was textbook. let me know C.W. Will check in sometime on the weekend, but I will still be there as long as the bait stays well before I even consider North Monomoy.

I didn't realize the currents were that strong out there! For a moment while I was on the way out I wondered if I was hopelessly heading "out to sea". Early on I had a few hits here and there but no firm hook ups. I should have brought my floating line because I couldn't keep my sinking line well mended in those fast rips. Also, the wind was against me and it really starting blowing strong after the sun came up. There were so many attractive spots off that barrier that I couldn't make up my mind where stop and fish, so I mostly scouted around, casting all over the place. In some spots I thought I could see/hear fish come up and pop at the surface. Lots of attractive water off that bar. At the other end of that barrier there is an incredible bottle neck and a deep hole with eddys/backflows that looks promising. There is also an attractive depression in the center of the barrier that would probably be excellent on the incoming.

In fact that "ROUGH BAR" sign on the structure at Chatham light refers to that area. Once the tide has fallen to an advanced stage, the sand is exposed safely and in fact I have stared at that lee edge of the bar many times wishing I could reach it. It's the peak flow times that are hazardous.

Every time I see that sign I think of how good it would look in a pub.

Well, It is late Thursday August 24 and unfortunatly things have quieted down for me at the light. Charlie was right about the location and it is fairly safe but this week the early morning tides were not low enough to get to the spot. Still fish around and some keepers are being taken by bait fishermen at the "other" spot. I will be around for the weekend but back to work on Monday. That's it for now.

John, sorry we didn't get the chance to hook up again. after I did the charter on sunday my name was mud for a while. Steve and I only caught a few schoolies early on. we chased tunoids all day but couldn't hook up. he kept me out for an extra 4 hrs to get me into fish, but it was just not to be. I had a good time fishing Chatham light, and it was nice to meet you. Tom D.

Craig ,I will be down on labor day weekend,so give a call. Tom, no problem, I hope to see you again. Anyway, I will let Juro give the Rip Trip report since no one can do it like him but it was as expected... totally against the concept of hope which is fishing. By that I mean it is rare to go to a spot and have the same experience and expect to as well. The difference was that we got into some nice blues in the late morning and Roop and Dave P. lost track of the count of their stiper catch during the day. I caught two blues and two footballs. One was measured by Roop using his right arm for the tape and the fish took the whole arm. But everybody got into them , some with a good number like Marvin and Dom , I think. Anyway thats it. I was able to put Dave up for the night after and envied the fact that he was going on Trip three on Saturday